England seek to address 'shallow pond' of spin talent

Test recall: Simon Kerrigan’s first challenge will be to prove he has recovered from his Ashes mauling

England cricket chiefs are trying to advise captains how to use spin bowlers as they search desperately for a long-term successor to Graeme Swann.

Swann’s retirement midway through last winter’s Ashes whitewash has left England with a problem. All-rounder Moeen Ali is not yet an international-class slow bowler while left-armer Simon Kerrigan, restored to the England squad for this week’s Second Investec Test against India, must prove he has recovered from a nightmare debut against Australia last year.

England captain Alastair Cook has appeared reluctant to use off-spinner Moeen this summer, even though the pitches have been flat and the workload of his seam bowlers has been very heavy as a consequence.

Asked about the depth of spin talent in the country, England spin chief Peter Such admitted: “It is a shallow pond. We need to do more to get more spin bowlers playing and the key is to get them overs to bowl. If they have overs to bowl, they’ll develop and they’ll come through.

“The captain is the man on the field who has the biggest influence on a bowler and how he performs on a particular day. It’s very important to have a captain who understands and works well with spin bowlers.

“We’re trying to develop knowledge within potential captains, trying to get information there about how to work with spin bowlers on the field. It’s about what kind of fields to set, when and how much to bowl the spinners.

“If you want your spinner to bowl in the second innings, you have to give him some overs in the first innings, so he can get used to the pitch, build rhythm and confidence so he can be the match-winner in the second innings.

“We have a shortage and the main thing spinners suffer is from a lack of overs. It’s something you need a lot of to become good. If you’re not getting the overs, it’s going to take longer to master the skills you need.

“We were fortunate to have someone of the quality of Graeme Swann but he has retired now and we’re looking around for the next one. Moeen is a very talented cricketer and a talented off-spinner.

“He spins the ball hard and gets very good shape on the ball. The more he plays, the more he bowls, the better he will get. He will get a better understanding of his own game.”

Swann has already been contacted by the England and Wales Cricket Board about giving advice to aspiring international spinners. It would not be a formal role but a general discussion on how to make a success of one of the game’s most difficult arts.

England coach Peter Moores is confident Kerrigan can be the main man and, if the surface at Lord’s is dry this week, there is a good chance he will play. But the 25-year-old’s first challenge will be to prove he has recovered from that Ashes Test at The Kia Oval last August, when he bowled only eight overs and sometimes struggled even to land the ball.

It was thought that Kerrigan did not feel comfortable in the England environment but he has spent a winter with the Lions and was at Trent Bridge last week with the rest of the squad for the drawn First Test.

Such told BBC Test Match Special: “He has put a lot of work in over the winter and made improvements to his game. We’re looking to build him back up to a stage where he can go out and perform, and I’m sure he will in the future. What happened to him wasn’t pleasant but I’m sure he will be a lot stronger because of it.”